After stepping down as CEO of Starbucks, Howard went to China to deal with the impact of e-commerce on the high-end market.

This time in China, Howard Schultz brought two gifts to this potential market, one for employees and one for the market.

Starbucks founder Howard Schultz and Professor Qian Yingyi, dean of Tsinghua School of Economics and Management, touch Starbucks' iconic coffee cups in Beijing on April 11, 2017.

Every reporter Wu Linjing, every editor Chen Junjie

Howard Schultz, the father of Starbucks, came from a humble background and worked hard all the way to become a "coffee king" and has long been among the billionaires.

On April 3, he put the brakes on his life again when he stepped down as CEO of Starbucks as chief executive of the board and shifted his focus to the collection coffee store.

A week after leaving office, Howard Schultz appeared in Beijing, China. On April 11, he listened to Starbucks employees in the morning and told students at Tsinghua University about his dreams and responsibilities in the evening. The story spans 36 years since he met Starbucks in 1981.

This time in China, Howard Schultz brings two gifts to this potential market, one for employees-full-time parental health insurance for eligible Starbucks full-time employees in China, and one for the market-layout of high-end coffee.

Retire from CEO to become CEO of the board of directors

Howard Schultz, who is in his twenties, says that when he attends management meetings every week, he imagines two empty chairs, an employee who should be sitting at Starbucks and a customer who should be sitting at Starbucks. "what is the mission and responsibility of a commercial listed company? Is it just for profit? Is it just a return for shareholders? How to strike a balance between business profits and social responsibility? " Howard Schultz, who raised the issue at a global shareholder meeting three years ago, is still thinking about it after leaving office.

In December 2016, Starbucks announced that Howard Schultz would step down as CEO of Starbucks on April 3 this year. After the news, Starbucks shares tumbled 11% in after-hours trading. At present, Howard Schultz has officially stepped down as chief executive of the board of directors of Starbucks CEO.

The market still retains the memory of Howard Schultz after he last left office. Howard Schultz resigned as president and CEO of Starbucks in 2000. He returned to Starbucks after the 2008 financial crisis and brought Starbucks back to its position as a retail giant.

On the evening of April 11, I reviewed the "history of salvation" in a speech at Tsinghua University. Howard Schultz mentioned that when he returned to Starbucks, he found that Starbucks management pursued production and sales while ignoring the coffee itself. As a result, it offered to spend $30 million to train 10, 000 baristas in order to "restore values" to Starbucks employees.

Starbucks layout of high-end coffee

According to Starbucks, Howard Schultz's future focus will shift to the innovation, design and development of global selection coffee stores, promoting the expansion of the retail store model and strengthening the company's high-end coffee shops.

Nowadays, the Chinese market is becoming more and more important to Starbucks. Chinese mainland opened its first store in China in Beijing in 1999 and now has more than 2600 stores in 127 cities. Moreover, Starbucks plans to operate more than 5000 Starbucks stores on Chinese mainland by 2021.

Compared with other regions and even regions, China has become the fastest growing market for Starbucks stores. Starbucks mentioned in its earnings report more than once that it "hopes that China will develop into one of Starbucks' largest markets in the world."

Starbucks reported a net profit of $2.939 billion in the Asia-Pacific region, surpassing its performance in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, second only to the United States. There is no doubt that Starbucks sees business opportunities for Starbucks because of China's growing middle class. Starbucks said in its earnings report that China has become an important market and that future growth will be driven by the expansion of retail stores, increased transaction volume and digital development.

Starbucks is about to launch its exclusive stores, the Coffee Roaster and the Zhenxuan Restaurant. Outside the United States, Starbucks' first overseas roaster is located in Shanghai, China.

A reporter from the Daily Business News noticed that from the retail price, the price of each cup of coffee in Zhenxuan store is about twice that of ordinary stores. It is reported that in high-end stores, 12 ounces of coffee will sell for as much as $12.

Why open up the field of high-end coffee? Howard Schultz explained, "with the impact of the Internet, every retailer has been threatened online, and the number of shoppers in department stores has plummeted and is expected to be the same in the future. This means that there will be a huge consolidation of the retail industry, and for me, it is necessary for me to create a better exciting consumer experience with emotional appeal to people, which is a strategy that Starbucks will pursue around the world. build a bakery quickly. "